Explosive Sweetness
by 7ghostwriter
Summary: Collection of Lambo/I-Pin pieces.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** A Lambo/I-Pin drabble and short story collection

**Rating: **T for future posts

**Author Note: **I've decided to put every future piece I write about those two in here, so this collection will contain drabbles, one shots and anything which is half-decent presentable. I'm still working on two longer short storys, hopefully they will be finished soon.

Thanks goes to the three reviewers from 'Teaser' who like (or have come to like) this pairing as much as I do (smiles). It's also for the ones who took it as a favorite, I hope you all will enjoy what my crazy mind will produce in the future (laughs).

* * *

**Title: **Explosive 

**Pairing: **Lambo/I-Pin with seventeen

* * *

Explosive

-

He often was the one who would activate her bomb modus. How could you not get embarrassed when he called you thinks like babe or sweetie?

She had to pay Shamal a visit just for her mental peace.

Occasionally he would also activate it with his unexpected actions – why didn't he say anything before they ended up in a dark ally right next to a café store, kissing the hell out of each other?

The only positive thing, he told her once, about it was that she would always cling to him until the time was up. In return, she told him that the bomb technique spared her to think about a punishment herself.

-


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Relationship

**Pairing: **Lambo/I-Pin, AU future

-

* * *

Relationship

-

-

It was weird when they finally found out.

Not that they didn't suspect anything but to go and tell them all openly was a little too much, I-Pin though afterwards.

Tsuna looked like he had known it all along – which he probably did – and gave them an approving smile before he hugged both of them.

Ryohei and Yamamoto were the less troublesome. With an extreme good luck wish from the one and a big grin and a thumb up sign from the other, both were easy to handle.

It became difficult with Gokudera who promised her that he would kill the cow if he did make her cry. I-Pin knew he wasn't joking. So did Lambo who looked more than frightened.

Mukuro wasn't present but they got a smile from Chrome who had become one of her best female friends under the family members.

And then there was the reaction of Hibari who first looked disinterested – I-Pin felt somehow relived and sad at the same time – and then did give her a kiss on the right cheek before everyone's eyes.

Unnecessary to say that Lambo was pissed of.

I-Pin blushed lightly and smiled at Hibari before she pulled her boyfriend away from the cloud guardian. Lambo didn't seem to care anymore that he could get killed if he didn't stop to insult the other man.

I-Pin grinned happily while she dragged him in the direction of the next ice café to celebrate, away from the imminent danger of death.

That did go better than expected.

-


	3. Waiting

**Title: **Waiting

**Summary: **Lambo waits for I-Pin. In the pouring rain.

**Pairing:** Lambo/I-Pin from the future ark (with fourteen)

**Author Notes: **Lambo waits in front of the gate to which Yamamoto will lead Tsuna and Gokudera. Future-Tsuna isn't yet dead and Reborn is still there. I hope you will enjoy it like I did while writing it and will be so kind to leave a review.

* * *

Waiting

-

-

"Don't worry," she had said.

"I can do it on my own," she had tried to convince him.

And here he was, sitting next to the entrance gate, waiting for her. Since more than three hours. And it was raining softly down on him.

He sneezed and rubbed his hands together which had gone cold and numb after the first hour. He was drenched to his bones and his jacket stacked to his body like a second skin. If Yamamoto-san hadn't brought out a rain coat, his body would have become an ice block much earlier.

Why did it take so long? She should have been here anytime soon!

Lambo looked worried up to the grey clouds in the sky. It was so frustrating to be unable to do anything at all! Why hadn't she let him come with her?

"You're too important as a guardian," had been her answer. And: "I have planned everything carefully and detailed enough," had been her final reply. After that he didn't have any reason left to stop her from going on her mission.

Damn, why hadn't he persisted on accompanying her?! He had begged Reborn to let him go after her, but the little baby had refused to give him information about the location or the order. He had been the opinion that Lambo still needed to train more before he could be send to battles or discovery missions.

But she had been strong enough. Strong enough to be send to her first mission since nearly a year. With thirteen she had decided to stop fighting altogether because she wanted to change her life, go to school, get to know more of the world and find new interests.

It had been okay at that time but now the world was under a different control than that of the Vongola family and so she had to give up her dreams. It had been her own decision to come back to them; nobody would have ever forced her.

He had to undergo a hard training because he was on of the six who protected the 10th Vongola, but she - she could have continued her normal life.

He had asked her, "Why are you doing this? It's dangerous; you can get killed so easily, what about your new goals in life?" She had laughed because he made such a funny shocked face. And then she had smiled up at him and said: "Because it's my family."

He had locked irritated at her. She had smiled only brighter. "I can't let them fight alone when I can help with my strength. And I can't let them send you in a battle all by yourself, nee?"

He had blushed then. "I can defend myself; I definitely won't need a girl to fight for me!" She had giggled as he had become more embarrassed and started to mutter that he was strong enough.

But deep down, he was glad that she had come back. She was the link to his childhood, a happy time. And she was his sanctuary.

She understood him like no one else did. ("…" "I see. Which bonbon do you want?")

He could trust her with his life.

She listened to his problems. ("No, you didn't already told me that Bianchi chased you last week for nearly two days.")

He wanted to become strong, to help her and be able to protect her.

She laughed and cried with him. ("–_snore_- …He really did say that? –_giggle_- Oh, don't tell me –_giggle_- anymore, they will think you made me cry –_giggle_-…I dare you, don't open your mouth –_giggle_-!")

He felt strangely save right next to her.

She was his conscience when he just couldn't stop to play pranks. ("Lambo stop, I met Gokudera-san in the kitchen, he said he wanted to test his new bombs on you, if one more water bomb lands on his head!")

Why wasn't she back already?

Frustrated he punched the metal wall of their base next to his left. He only felt a little sting in his hand. Lambo sighed inwardly and rubbed where icy flesh had met even colder metal. Damn, couldn't he do anything right?!?

Just as he wanted to leave his post to go looking for Reborn to try his luck again to get information, he heard somebody approach. He tensed; it could also be an enemy who investigated the forest area where he was. But as he spotted a red spot which came closer and closer through the rain wall, he jumped up and threw caution to the wind.

"I-Pin!!!" he called her name loudly and waved while running to meet her in the downpour. The figure seemed to stop shortly and than he could hear a joyful "Lambo!". He grinned to himself, if she could still scream back with such force than she wasn't injured.

She had started to run faster as she had heard him calling. So it didn't come as a surprise as they nearly bumped into each other.

She almost flew in his arms and caught in the gleeful moment he spun her two times around before he finally placed her gently on the ground and inspected her more precisely. I-Pin was still giggling from the surprise spins she received and didn't look up at him until he pushed her a little away from himself and turned her petite form carefully around while watching out for small injuries.

"Hey, do you want to make me even dizzier than I already am?" she asked him jokingly. "Just let me look if you're really okay. You can be so clumsy sometimes!" he replied, twisting and twirling her around. He sighed relieved as there wasn't a single scratch on her.

I-Pin took his hands gently but firm from her shoulders and kept them between her warm ones. "I told you not to worry…But still you sat there in the cold rain, probably for hours. Your hands feel like ice! Why didn't you listen to me?" Bothered she looked up to him, rubbing his hands all the time with her own to get them to warm up.

He laughed sheepishly at her and looked embarrassed away. "Well,…you see …I thought it would be nice if somebody welcomes you when you got back!" Good lie! He was becoming better each time.

But I-Pin didn't look convinced. She sighed and gave him a stern gaze. "Stop lying, it doesn't fit with your open personality, it only makes you more suspicious." She pulled him with her, still both hands in her claim, and walked backwards in the direction of the base. "You were concerned, weren't you? I'm happy that you worry so much, but next time don't wait outside in the rain, I don't want to be the reason if you get a cold."

She smiled tenderly. "But still…Thank you for waiting for me."

Lambo felt how his face became warm in contrast to his cold body. She had a really nice smile if she wanted to. "You're welcome…," he muttered quietly while she drew him to the entire.

-

* * *

- 

"Ha-ha-tschu!"

He groaned and sniffed in his handkerchief. His nose was red like one of these famous tomatoes which grew near his hometown in Italy and his head felt like somebody had stuffed it with cotton. He felt warm and cold at the same time – which was very confusing – and had no appetite what so ever – which scared him, because he hadn't eaten sweets since three _whole_ days.

The door of his room opened and I-Pin came slowly in, balancing a tablet with medicament, food and a glass with water. She showed him the I-told-you-so-look – which she now mostly had when she first entered his chamber – and placed the tablet near his bed. Pitiful she helped him to take his pills and changed his bed linen while he went to change his sweaty clothes on the toilet.

When he finally laid in his bed again, tucked in and sleepily because of the little food he had eaten and his medicament, she would sing him a lullaby which Mrs. Sawada always used to sing when one of them were ill.

And even though Lambo felt terrible and Reborn had told him that he picked a bad time to become ill - Reborn had been ready to blast him out of bed if necessary, luckily I-Pin had told him that Lambo truly needed the rest - he actually thought that it was one of his greatest ideas to wait in the rain.

-

-


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Kids**  
**

**Author Note: **Something short to enjoy :). I'm doing my best to finish the fourth chapter of 'Meeting' as soon as possible. Not beta read because I need Renren for the longer pieces xD".

* * *

Kids

-

From time to time she would wonder what it would be like in the future.

Which girl didn't do that? She wasn't like Haru who did plan until she and her husband were old or like Kyoko who did think about all the little details in her and her husband's house.

I-Pin liked to dream about what their kids would look like.

It was really weird to imagine a girl or boy with the head form she had as a child and Lambo's Afro hair.

She would always end up laughing until she nearly suffocated because the pictures before her mind's eye did have the talent to get stranger the more detailed she tried to make them up.

Often Lambo did find her in a totally exhausted state, where she had red cheeks and still tears from laughing too much in her eyes.

He would always ask her what did happen but that made I-Pin only smile – because which girl would tell her boyfriend with fifteen that she was thinking about kids? – and she gripped his hand to get something fresh to drink.

What she didn't know was that Lambo was already planning – after all Italians liked big families, especially when it was their own.

-

-


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Note: **I'm really sorry that I haven't updated anything for a long time but currently I have to look for what I want to do in the future and so I'm more busy since I don't have school anymore.

'Meeting' is still under construction, I hope that I will be able to upload it soon. I don't want you to read something halfhearted, therefore it will take some more time.

* * *

Heritage

-

And sometimes she would forget that he was a real Italian.

But when he would push her gently against a wall when they would met up after their missions, whispering sweet nothingness inside her ear and kissing her like there was no tomorrow, she did remember.

-

Language

-

When it was raining outside and both were stuck to stay inside, they would start a little game.

She would only speak in Chinese and he only in Italian.

Although both were sure that the other didn't understand one word, they still liked the weird prickles the foreign words left in the air.

Later on, when they were matured enough to stay calm for more than three minutes; I-Pin taught Lambo Chinese in exchange for Italian.

Tsuna often found them in his room, babbling strange sentences and laughing about jokes only they did understand, wondering when they did grow so close to each other.

-

-


	6. Pudding

**Title:** Pudding

**Summary: **I-Pin tries something out. A story about pudding and an unpredictable Lambo.

**Author Notes: **Came to my mind while still working at "Meeting". Please take it as a compensation because it takes me so long to finish the fourth chapter (sighs unhappily).

* * *

-

-

The first time she thought about changing something between them was when she had reached the full age of twenty. It wasn't that she didn't like their friendship. Nor did she see an urgent reason to make him realize that they were different than two childhood friends, even more different than a sister and a brother.

It simple was that she wanted to try, simply try, if she could change something at all.

Her plan was easy; sit in the kitchen when he comes home, a pudding right in front of her and a spoon ready in her hand.

He greeted her like always, but stopped resolute in the doorway between the entering of her current location and the way down to the elevator which would bring him up to his room, as he saw what she was eating. "Where did you get that, I-Pin?"

She smiled cheerfully.

"I went shopping today!"

And slowly, almost unaware, she brought the spoon near the sweet, carefully taking a portion with it and leading the long silver item back to her mouth. With delicate sipping, she tasted the milk chocolate and the vanilla crème on top.

Lambo's eyes widened conspicuously.

I-Pin smirked inwardly. She got him where she wanted him, all his attention totally focused on her and her present meal.

"Is that so…Didn't you buy me one, too?"

She avoided his eyes as soon as he had post the question, only looking at the sugary treasure before her on the table. She smiled slightly at it.

I-Pin knew that he now definitely pulled his puppy dog number; his tone earlier in his question had been a warning for her. She knew him long enough to discern exactly how he reacted at particular situations. And he could become so whine if he really wanted something.

Kyoko and Haru still had problems to say no to him when he begged them for sweets.

But I-Pin - herself not always immune to him - had learned the hard way how to evade getting your food stolen, especially when it was something which she equally wanted. And today she couldn't let herself be beaten by such a childish act.

"Oh, I'm sorry! But didn't Reborn say that you have sweet prohibition until you finally are able to keep up with his training program?," she asked as innocently as possible and sent a pitiful and questionable look at him.

Lambo gulped.

Ah, so he did remember! I-Pin cocked her head, still obvious waiting for an explanation.

Lambo looked fearful first right and left, before he quickly walked until he stood in the kitchen, on the table side right in front of I-Pin and her dessert.

"Ah-ahem…well, you see I still am not allowed to eat them, but have a little compassion with me, I-Pin! You know me, how should I survive so long without sugar?"

He sounded so desperately that she almost, almost had given in right then and there.

But instead I-Pin lowered her eyes again on her spoon full of pudding and slowly licked the sweet treat from it before she took another spoon full.

"I can't agree to your decision! If Reborn finds out, he will not only be mad at me, he will although surely attack you or even increase your punishment."

She could practically feel the horror which he seemed to experience as he now imagined what Reborn could do to him.

Calmly, I-Pin sipped again on the flabby mass on her spoon, ignoring Lambo apparently for a moment. Regardless, she noticed his open gapping as she leisurely finished the second spoon.

"Bu-but…! How can you be so cruel to me?"

Ah, now he switched over to melodramatic. I-Pin gazed with a raised eyebrow at him. "You know that I am not cruel but that I don't want to patch you up together like the last time Reborn was really made at you, don't you?"

Sweat ran down his temples as he seemed to remember that event clearly.

Good. I-Pin took another spoon, an almost overfilled one and had eaten it faster than Lambo could follow her movements. She hummed happily at the taste.

And felt that Lambo appeared to search frantically for a new excuse why he could, or more should, get some of her pudding, too.

"You know, I can take over your cleaning duty for a week!" He sounded eagerly excited for coming up with that solution.

I-Pin dipped the spoon for the forth time in cool chocolate with some vanilla crème and brought it almost against her lips.

She inspected the spoon as if she was reconsidering his proposal, before she licked the whole thing clean, lowering it and raising her head at him.

"As alluring as it sounded, I have to decline your offer. I am more concerned about your healthy than about your sugar consume. Two weeks without sweets won't kill you, you know?"

Not awaiting his answer, she took her next spoon, twirling her tongue playfully around the pudding while finally raising her eyes again to see how he was doing.

Strangely enough, he had lowered his face so that she couldn't see his expression under the shadow of his curls.

Was he still thinking about a solution or did he finally start to approach it her way?

"You are doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

I-Pin nearly choked on her dessert, surprised that he sounded so angrily all of a sudden. She had calculated everything, but never the possibility that he would see through her little play. "No, I would never -…"

Before she could finish her sentence, he stood abruptly next to her - too close for her own comfort – leaning over her with a smirk on his lips, something she had never seen on him before.

"I'll play along, I-Pin-chan. If you want to, I do."

The 'chan' which he added to annoy her - since he had stopped calling her that after she had beaten him up with seven - was drawled in his typically lazy tone, only currently a somehow dangerous undertone accompanied it.

I-Pin's eyes widened.

With grate care, Lambo took the spoon in his much bigger hands, taking a portion of the pudding and lifting it up to her lips.

Just as I-Pin wanted to open her mouth to protest against his action, he did cautiously shove the spoon in.

I-Pin had to gulp out of reflex.

And straight after that, she nearly was ready to kill Lambo herself, as warm, soft lips pressed themselves against hers. The spoon fell with a clatter somewhere on the floor.

The attempted protest she tried only helped him to slide his tongue in. Before she knew it, I-Pin found herself clinging to his form, her head feeling comfortable empty and her cheeks turning a bright red.

To have him this close, that she could smell his sense of rain and gun powder from outside and that she could feel his heat, his lips on hers and his tongue circuiting hers was simply overwhelming.

Only the oxygen absence forced them apart, both panted while observing each other. The smug look on his face didn't suit I-Pin at all. With new won anger, she promptly jumped up from the chair, taking the pudding with her.

Although her legs wobbled more than she would like to admit, she sent Lambo a glare and brought the table between themselves. Lambo watched her actions with a smirk on his lips.

"What, didn't it go like you had imagined? You know that I would do nearly anything for sweets."

Furious, I-Pin knitted her eyebrows. "Yes, as I can see now, you would definitely do anything!"

Damn, she didn't wanted so much hurt to be heard in her voice, but it was impossible to not feel disappointed by his words.

The smirk vanished only to be replaced by a too serious expression for I-Pin's taste on Lambo's face.

He walked over to her, until he stood again closer than I-Pin liked. She could feel his breath on her forehead.

He put his arms above her head, caging her in between himself and the wall behind her.

"You reap what you sow, is the saying, isn't it? You shouldn't have provoked me with something so tempting when you knew that I would do everything to have it." Now a grin spread over his face, much to I-Pin's surprise and displeasure.

"But you know, I would have never done the same if it hadn't been you."

That was too much to take.

With a confident grip she could look directly into his eyes without the constant looking-up-part. Her hand firmly fastened into his collar, she let a grin spread over her lips.

"You still have a lot to learn, don't you, Lambo-chan? Never feel to secure until you have clearly gained victory."

And without further waiting for his response, she gave his kiss from before right back. He accepted willingly, only being frozen until her tongue tried to enter his mouth.

Tongues dancing against each other, he gave her amazingly fast the lead.

While she explored his mouth more conscious than the first time, she also felt how one of his hands had started to caress her back and began to play with her long braids which were down today.

It felt too nice to not be dangerous.

Anytime somebody could walk in on them, something which I-Pin would rather avoid than let happen. With a definite shove she brought more room between them.

"It's not that I don't like it…but prohibition is prohibition."

With a big smile on her face and red cheeks, she skipped down the halls after she had given him a goodbye kiss on his right cheek. He had never looked so baffled, happy and clueless than just now.

I-Pin grinned from ear to ear. Her plan had worked even better than thought.

Behind her a dumbfounded Lambo came finally to his sense.

"Bu-but I'm not forbidden to kiss! I-Pin, come back!," she could hear his first accusing and soon after whining voice.

With a laugh she took the elevator, not waiting until he had caught up.

-

-

A little dark shadow unnoticed from both of them grinned one of his typically smirks.

Well, more training and even lesser sweets for the thunder guardian from now on, then.

Reborn left as silently as he had come.

-

-


	7. Still joking

**Title:** Still joking

**Summary:** Mission time for Lambo and I-Pin. Firsts are always special.

**A. N.:** ...I don't know what to say other that I'm pissed at myself for not getting my mind to work correctly on my on-going story. It's definitely not a comfort but be assured that I will continue it!

About this little piece, well the ending may sound somehow abrupt, but I wanted to keep it short. Please point out my mistakes if they are too grave, I always want to learn where to correct myself :).

* * *

-

-

Pressed against each other, harshly breathing and listening carefully after every single step wasn't what I-Pin would call a normal day, but she was more used to this than having a whole peacefully week since her third birthday.

The silence only made the situation worse, filling her ears, slowly making a non-existing noise in her head which began to creep her out while Lambo next to her started to shift his position every five minutes, making her aware of how long they actually had to sit here for him to become nervous.

Since he had learned the hard way to keep quiet long ago, it made her jumpy too, to know that he finally reached his limits and still not a single sound could be heard which would create a reason for leaving their current hidden positions.

The wall felt hard and cold against her left side in contrast to Lambo's warm – and surely sweaty - back right next to hers. Although she couldn't see him now, she was certain that his fingers were playing with the gun in his hand, clenching and losing his grip unconsciously as he worriedly had his eyes closed to concentrate completely on his environment.

A sharp, fast stab in her heart sent a hurt smile over I-Pin's face.

Who would've believed that little Lambo would be ready to go on missions with her only ten years after they first meet each other?

She certainly wouldn't have believed it.

That clumsy, ridiculous childish boy whom she never would have trusted with anything – especially not her food or weapons – was right here, next to her, accompanying her to protect her.

I-Pin sighed unhappily. Should she be happy or should she feel pity for him to be with her now?

He had been excited to be her partner, after always hearing that he wasn't ready to help her in any of her jobs.

She knew that Reborn had been right all those times to not let him come with her, first because of her own safety – how should she concentrate on anything at all when she had him around her to worry about was out of her imagination – and second because the little mafia agent could judge Lambo's abilities the best, being mostly the one with whom Lambo fought.

That there would finally come a time, where he would be ready had been out of I-Pin's mind for a long time. Secretly, she had hoped that he would stay the little clumsy and immature boy forever, never having to worry about him being away on missions on his own.

But the mafia world wasn't a place to keep big dreams and hopes (well, not those where you dearly wished for somebody to stay out of the business and to never get involved), but in the end she had known all along, that sooner or later he just had to participate.

After all, he was born into this world, just like she was.

And while it was unpreventable, I-Pin at least wanted to supervision his first real mission, one of her reasons to allow him (or more Reborn, who made the final decision) to be her partner.

Tsuna hadn't been thrilled to send his thunder guardian away, but eventually he had to admit, that it was a lot saver to have I-Pin nearby than to give Lambo a single mission.

Still full alert of her present surroundings, she gently nudged him in the side.

"After that, we go to your favourite café, promise?"

Although she barley heard her own whisper, he turned around to give her a quick grin (one of those he always wore when there was a chance of getting free sweets).

"Only if you pay."

I-Pin sighed, holding back the wish to kick him right now.

Typical of him to have the nerve to demand something from her when she tried to cheer him up!

"Only if you manage to not get hurt today," she answered seriously back, almost sounding pissed off.

He only rubbed his left elbow shortly up and down her back, sending small shivers up her spin. I-Pin couldn't help but smile.

His reaction made her forget her anger, knowing full well that he tried to lift the mood after all, even though his jokes were hard to detect in the current mode.

"… and next time I pay for us both," she heard him murmur honestly.

I-Pin felt how the smile became a grin. One of those only he could conjure up inside of her nowadays.

Weird, now she just wanted to pound her way out of here!

Couldn't the enemy finally show up so that they could finish their mission?!

-

-


	8. Comfort

**Title:** Comfort

**Summary: **Lambo has to face the fact: I-Pin can't be strong all the time.

**A.N.:** Not beta-read, so I apologize for the (hopefully not too horrible) mistakes. I just wanted to bring some angst in between those two, seeing how things turned out. As for the when, I would say they are 15-17 in an AU universe where the problems with other mafia families have gotten worse.

Hope you enjoy reading :3~

* * *

-

-

Blood was soaked in her clothes, splattered on her arms, her delicate small hands and even in her hair.

With a rush Lambo was next to her, unsure if he could grip her for examination because he didn't know which of the red liquid belonged to her and which didn't.

Gokudera beat him to it, pushing him aside and handing her paper towels to clean herself up.

"How was it?," was his first question.

No worry or anxiety laid in his voice, and although he had a grim look, he carefully helped I-Pin to soak paper after paper until only a soft red film was left on her form.

Instead of asking if she was okay (which had been Lambo's stuck up question all along), he only patted her reassuringly on the head, which made I-Pin lift her head to really look at them both for the first time since she had entered the room.

To Lambo it seemed as if she had woken from a long, deep dream, one of those where you didn't know if it was a nightmare or only nonsense.

She sent them both a serious gaze before her features melted into a small smile.

"Ah, nothing to worry about."

She smiled softly at them, especially at Lambo, who just couldn't banish that concerned look from his face.

Gokudera grinned at her (something he did rarely these days) and took the bloody paper towels with him, as he probably went to inform Tsuna about I-Pin's successful return.

Leaving Lambo and I-Pin all alone by themselves in a weird, unusual silence.

-

"So…You're okay?," Lambo finally asked with uncertainty in his voice.

I-Pin sent him the same small smile like before, which didn't quite reach her eyes nor looked as if she really meant it.

"Sure," was her only statement before she turned her back to him, beginning to open her red Chinese jacket with a haste Lambo didn't think she possessed judging by the calmness she showed them earlier.

Her fingers were still slippery from blood just as the knobs on her costume were covered in it, and soon she was struggling with the last remaining ones.

Although she didn't utter a single word, Lambo sensed how her despair grew to get out of the blood soaked dress as fast as possible.

With caution, he turned her softly around to him, taking her hands away.

Damn, were they cold! Lambo winced slightly. Only then, with her clammy fingers secured in his big, warm hands, did he feel her shaking.

With surprise he looked from her hands up to her face, registering her widened eyes and the disgust which was written all over her face. Her eyes seemed to look through him at something he wasn't sure he wanted to know about.

Lambo dropped her hands immediately. His attention focused on her knobs, opening the last ones with more swiftness he thought he did have, feeling himself near to panic.

He pulled at her sleeves with urgency, but didn't have to say anything because I-Pin struggled out of the jacket as if it would explode any moment soon.

Lambo dropped it without care on the floor and pointing at I-Pin's undershirt and her protection gear while looking in her eyes with definiteness.

She understood right away and started to open the things which helped protecting her on missions as he switched his focus to her shoes and the long – now dark violet, thanks to the blood - pants.

Had somebody told him before, that there would be a day he would be kneeling in front of I-Pin while she took her clothes of, he would have judged that as a bad joke.

But now he squatted down in front of her, putting a hand softly on one of her shoes and lifted it slowly until she noticed what he had in plan to balance herself with one hand on his shoulder.

He did the same on the other side throwing the metallic smelling shoes far away from them.

At the same time, I-Pin let the protection gear drop with a loud 'Thong' on the floor.

She was still shivering, but Lambo noticed with some satisfaction that it had slowed down gradually.

Before he could stop her, she tugged her pants down, leaving her standing in front of him in her underwear and thankfully a lose shirt over her upper parts which she hadn't removed yet.

Lambo gulped as heat rose unexpectedly to his cheeks.

To prevent her from doing something she would later definitely regret if she remembered it, he shrugged his casual cow print shirt of and draped it over her hunched shoulders.

"C'mon, let us get you to the bathroom so you can take care of the rest."

He grasped her arm as if she could brake under his touch and led her away to the shower rooms for the girls.

-

With worry, Lambo paced back and forth in front of the changing rooms, never taking his gaze off of the exit. After I-Pin had finished showering, she had looked almost normal again, sending him a shy smile while she took the clothes he had offered her.

The white bath robe she wore, made Lambo think of hospitals and sickness and _dying,_ so that a feeling of nausea made him scan her form for wounds he didn't see earlier because of the blood.

All he could see (well, the parts which weren't hidden anyway) was the pale milky skin of her legs and underarms - now red from her washing it with force - , her dark, big eyes still wandering of - probably to horrible memories – and her altogether delicate figure which made him want to hide her from the world and never let her out again to recieve her dangerous missions.

When she went back to put the clothes on, he could have possibly left her alone, to sort out her feelings, to let her switch gradually back to normal, but something in him nearly screamed at him to _stay, _to make sure everything was alright.

Whatever she had done the past six hours she had been away, it definitely topped the work she did otherwise. Which made him worry even more, knowing fully well for what she was still used under Tsuna's leadership. The closing of a door brought his dark thoughts to a stop.

Lambo practically froze on the spot, only to see I-Pin in the dark blue trainings outfit he had handed her because walking to their quarters to get something more neutral had not been an issue to him as he didn't want to leave her in her current state for even a minute.

I-Pin sighed softly, sending him an apologetic look.

"..Sorry, for making you worry so much," she whispered, clutching the clothes she was dressed in now protectively around herself.

Lambo couldn't answer her right back, as the sight of seeing her – I-Pin, who could handle _everything_ if she wanted to, who was smart, strong and clever, who never was afraid of anything since the broccoli monster-days in her life – so unsure and fragile, so nearly broken inside from today, made his heart ache in a desperate way.

Pulling her against him and burying her in his arms was the only thing he could think of doing right now. Which he did soon after.

I-Pin first stiffened because of the sudden proximity so that he thought she would beat him up, but then she surprisingly melted against his body, wrapping her arms frantically around his waist, choking the air out of his lungs.

And then she started crying, as if a river had been finally broken.

Although she didn't sob loudly, the hot wetness he could feel spreading over his bare chest through his shirt was unmistakable.

Lambo stroked her hair like Mrs. Sawada had always done when one of them was sad or had a nightmare, back in the old days.

He started to rub her back gently, muttering words of comfort even though he knew that they were lies, would become lies, sooner or later.

But that didn't matter, because only the present was important, here and now she needed the lying safety he could provide with his words, his arms, his being there.

So Lambo kept going on, until she had at last calmed down.

How long they stood like that, Lambo later couldn't say, but he never forgot the helplessness in her eyes he had seen clearly for the first time since he knew her.

-

-


End file.
